Leaf dispenser



Dec. 28, 1965 1 P, GREENE 3,226,110

LEAF DISPENSER Filed Nov. 8, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FI G. I FIG. 2.

ATTORNEY Dec. 28, 1965 J. P. GREENE 3,226,110

LEAF' DISPENSER Filed Nov. 8, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOHN PGREENE www 6%@ ATTORNEY FIG. 6

J. P. GREENE LEAF DISPENSER Dec. 28, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 8,1963 FIG.8

M/llllll JOHN P. GREENE ATTORNEY.

J. P. GREENE LEAF DISPENSER Dec. 28, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 8,1963 FIG- 22 FIG. 2O

l a l l l INVENTOR JOHN P, GREENE "VIII/[Ill FIG. I9

ATTORNEY J. P. GREENE LEAF DISPENSER Dec. 28, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5Filed Nov. 8, 1963 .D b 2 2 b M b b 5 6 4 w m 2 H v Mmmm nited StatesPatent O 3,226,110 LEAF DISPENSER John P. Greene, Mountain Lakes, NJ.,assignor to Parachem Corporation, North Newark, NJ., a corporation ofNew Jersey Filed Nov. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 323,202 23 Claims. (Cl. 271-41)This application is a continuation-in-part of my application, Serial No.271,229, led April 8, 1963, now abandoned.

This invention relates to dispensing apparatus for soap leaves and othersheet material. It is designed primarily for use in public washrooms andis desirably of metal construction adapted to have a lock or othersuitable device to prevent pilferage or tampering with the contents.

With the development of soap in the form of sheet material, an examplebeing loose leaves or sheets to take the place of cakes or liquid, theproblem arises how to dispense the leaves one at a time, in a convenientmanner and without wastage. If the leaves are merely stacked, aprospective user with wet hands, even if he tried to take only one leaffrom the top of such a stack, would inevitably waste some While notaccomplishing any more from the standpoint of cleansing effect. Thepresent invention is for avoiding such wastage by not only providing forthe feeding one at a time of such cleansing leaves but also todiscourage the withdrawal of more than one leaf to effect a givenwashing operation.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a dispenser forsheet material comprising a housing formed by a front wall, having aslot for the discharge of a leaf, and side walls for holding therein astack of leaves of such material, said leaves being desirably containedin a carton or cartridge supported on a shelf in said housing, feedingmeans supportingly underlying the free edge portion of said leaves, andmeans for actuating said feeding means, said housing being also providedwith another slot to afford access of the user to said actuating means.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dispenser as abovedescribed wherein a time-delay device is associated with said actuatingmeans so that, upon an operation thereof to discharge a cleansing leaf,it is impossible to again reactuate it until a predetermined time haselapsed, thereby discouraging a user from withdrawing more cleansingleaves than necessary for a given washing operation.

A further object of my invention is to provide an enclosing carton forsuch leaves in a dispenser comprising a lower wall portion formed as apanel connected to the lower edge of the rear wall, formed as twosections hinged upon one another, and a metal plate with a sharp prongstruck therefrom, portions of said plate bent at right angles, passedthrough corresponding slots in edge portions of said panel and bentthereover to hold said plate thereto, with the prong outstandingtherefrom, the outer section being folded over the other section of saidpanel, holding the bent-over metal plate end portions therebetween, thefolded sections turned to underlie the rear portion of said carton withthe prong then upstanding and on which the rear portions of leaves insaid carton are to be impaled, said folded-over sections being heldbeneath said leaves by tabs depending from the side walls of the cartonand sandwiched therebetween when the leaves are supported thereon, theside walls and the front wall of said carton being relieved forwardly ofsaid tabs to facilitate the removal of leaves.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a dispenser forleaves or sheet material, wherein the means actually engaging saidmaterial to remove it are flexible rubber-like vanes of a feedingdevice, which vanes are so ice disposed with respect to a stack of suchleaves that one underlies the forward portion of the bottom leaf and theone immediately behind it underlies either another portion of said leafor the part which supports the rear portions of said leaves, said vanesduring a feeding operation bending to some extent so that they effect adesired functional engagement, comparable with or even better than thatwhich could be obtained with the fingers.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dispenser as abovedescribed, wherein the time-delay device is what determines the speed ofleaf discharge.

A further object of my invention is to provide a form of prong-carryingplate which is an improvement over that above described, in that it issimpler and more easily applied.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a third form ofsheet material dispenser, which is an irnprovement over the other formsin that the housing is of two-piece construction to facilitatemanufacture and permit greater freedom of design, the opening in theupper right hand corner of the housing of each of the first twoV formshas been replaced by one on the lower right hand side thereof throughwhich an operating lever projects, said operating lever passing throughsaid side opening, cooperating with the internal mechanism, andupwardly. urged by a small tension spring with one end fixed to the topof the housing and the other to the top of the lever, making itunnecessary to incline the interior working mechanism, as in the secondform, whereby it is aligned with the general longitudinal axis of thedispenser to facili-l tate manufacture which also involves animprovement in the means for mounting the dispenser, the shape of thebottom portion of the housing being rounded and angled inwardly to bringits surface closer to the leaves to be dispensed, thereby achieving agreater extension of exposed leaf when the dispenser is operated.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description when taken with the accompanyingdrawings. It will be understood that the drawings are for purposes ofillustration and do not define the scope or limits of the invention,reference being had for the latter purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote like parts inthe several views:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of one form of dispenser embodyingmy invention for leaves of cleansing material or the like.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the dispenser of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the dispenser as in FIGURE 1,but after the cover or housing thereof has been removed and portions ofthe supporting chassis and holding carton broken away to show top partsthereof in vertical section.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the dispenser as shown in FIGURE3, but with the lower part of the housing or cover indicated in dottedlines, except at the top and adjacent the leaf-discharging slot where itis shown in full lines in section.

FIGURE 5 is a plan of the parts of the dispenser shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line VI-VI ofFIGURE 3, in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bottom portion of theleaf holding carton of the dispenser of FIGURES 1 to 6, inclusive, withthe bottom wall members shown in open position and the to-be-supportedpronged plate separated therefrom but with an indication of how it is tobe connected.

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of a still better form of dispenserembodying my invention, with parts in section on the line VIII-VIII ofFIGURE 11, in the direction of the arrows,

FIGURE 9 is a lfront elevational view of the dispenser of FIGURE 8 afterthe housing has been removed and a part broken away.

FIGURE 10 is a partial vertical sectional view of the dispenser on theline X-X of FIGURE 9, in the direction of the arrows, which includes anaxial sectional view of the time-delay cylinder and associated parts,and a side elevational view of the chassis of the dispenser andassociated parts.

FIGURE 11 is a plan of the dispenser as in FIGURE 8, with parts inhorizontal section on the line XI-XI of FIGURES 8 and 10, in thedirection of the arrows.

FIGURE 12 is a plan of the chassis of FIGURE 9, with parts in section onthe line XII--XII thereof, in the direction of the arrows, and partsbroken away.

FIGURE `13 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the lineXIII--XIII of FIGURE 9, in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 14 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bottom portion of theleaf-holding carton of the dispenser of FIGURES 8 to 13, inclusive, withthe bottom wall members shown in open positions and the to-besupportedpronged plate separated therefrom, but with an indication of how it isto be connected.

FIGURE 15 is a fragmentary plan of a portion of the bottom wall of saidcarton, after said pronged plate has been initially placed in position.

FIGURE 16 is an edge view of said bottom wall portionwith saidpositioned plate.

FIGURE 17 is an exploded front elevational view 0f the upper and lowermembers or parts of a housing or cover for a third, and what I considerthe best, form of dispenser embodying my invention.

FIGURE 18 is an exploded right side elevational view of the parts of thehousing of my dispenser illustrated in FIGURE 17.

FIGURE 19 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, on the lineXIX-XIX of FIGURE 18, in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 20 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, on the line XX-XXof FIGURE 18, in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 21 is a rear elevational view of the assembled third formdispenser, showing the chassis thereof enclosed in its housing or coverportion, with the outer and inner actuator parts shown in full lineswhen in a normal position and in dot-dash lines when in operated ordepressed positions prior to the discharge of a leaf.

FIGURE 22 is a vertical sectional view, on the line XXII-XXII of FIGURE21, in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 23 is a horizontal sectional view of the dispenser of FIGURE 22,on the line XXIII-XXIII thereof, in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 24 is a front elevational view of the chassis of FIGURE 22, afterthe housing has been removed.

FIGURE 25 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line XXV-XXVof FIGURE 21, in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 26 is a fragmentary isometric view of the feed lever of thedispenser.

FIGURE 27 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, on the lineXXVII-XXVII of FIGURE 22, in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and first considering theembodiment of FIGURES 1 to 7, inclusive, there is shown in FIGURES 1 to6, inclusive, a first form of a leaf dispenser especially adapted tofeed sheets of soap, one at a time from the bottom of an enclosed stackthereof, and generally designated 11. This dispenser 11 is illustratedas using a refill cartridge or carton 12 to hold a stack of sheets,leaflets or leaves 13. The illustrated embodiment is well adapted forfeeding leaves of material entitled Detergent Film Composition,described and claimed in the Robert I. Anderson application, Ser. No.762,938, tiled September 24, 1958 commonly assigned, now abandoned afterbeing replaced by continuation-in-part application, Serial No. 316,514,filed October 16, 1963. Such a stack can conceivably be employed withthe enclosing cover of housing 14 of the dispenser and without a refillcarton, although it would not be as convenient. The housing 14 of thedispenser 11 is desirably integrally formed of sheet metal. It comprisesan inwardly and downwardly sloping front wall 15, normally vertical sidewalls 16 and 17, a normally horizontal bottom wall 18, and a forwardlyand downwardly sloping top wall 19.

The housing 14 is supported on a pivot or shaft 21 passing through theside walls 16 and 17 thereof and through side walls 22 and 23 of achassis or frame 24. Said chassis 24 is, in turn, supported on a wall orfrom another vertical surface, as by means of screws or other securingmeans, not shown, passing through the rear wall 25 thereof. The chassis24 is desirably provided with a shelf 26 formed as thenormally-horizontal ange of a right-angular metal sheet 27, the verticalange of which is secured to the rear wall 25 of the chassis as bybrazing or welding.

The housing 14 is a pivoted by the rod 21 which passes through aperturesin the side walls 16 and 17 thereof and through corresponding aperturesin the side walls 22 and 23 of the chassis 24, so that it is swingablefrom the upright position illustrated to a position where it lies withits front wall nearly horizontal, although sloping slightly outward, andoutstanding from the supporting wall and the chassis 24. It is held inits normal or closed position, as illustrated, by means of a latch inthe form of a spring plate 28. The upper end portion of the plate 28 issecured to the inner surface of the top wall 19 of the housing 14, bysuitable means such as brazing or welding, and the forward portionextends downwardly at an angle, as indicated in FIGURE 4.

When the housing 14 is swung up to its closed position, the latch 28snaps into locking engagement with the chassis side wall 23, its freeend being received in a notch 29 formed in the top edge thereof, therebylocking the housing in closed position. Unlocking of the spring plate orlatch 28 is provided for by having an aperture 31 in the front wall 15of the housing through which a finger may be inserted to raise the latch28 and allow for swinging the housing 14 downwardly and outwardly.

The carton 12 holding the leaves 13 is supported on the shelf 26. It isguided in its placement and removal with respect to the chassis 24, notonly between the side walls 22 and 23, but also between the rear wall 25and anges 32 and 33 bent toward one another from the front edges of saidside walls. FIGURE 3 indicates that said carton may be closed at the topby conventional means 50.

Due to the relative lightness of the soap leaves for which thisdispenser is particularly designed, but not limited to such, it isnecessary that some device be used to help the leaves slides down theinside of the housing 14 or rell carton 12 thereof. This is especiallytrue as. said leaves become nearly used up leaving, say, a two-- inchstack or less remaining in the dispenser. To solve this problem, Ipropose to use a block of wood 34 about one-half inch in thickness andof length and width corresponding with the size of the leaves. Such athickness is desirable as it prevents the weight from tilting forward,with a tendency to slide out of the bottom of the carton when nearlyempty.

FIGURES 3, 4 and 6 show mechanism which is desirably employed forfeeding the bottom leaf 13 of a stack, so that it protrudes from a slot35 in the front wall 15 of the housing 14. Said slot is desirably of alength slightly greater than the length of the leaves to be dispensedand defined at its upper and lower edges by flanges 36 and 37 slopingdownwardly and forwardly, as illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 6, to form anoutlet chute for the leaves. The chute is deep enough so that the leavesdo not fail to project themselves therethrough as fed by the mechanism,and in registry with the lower part of the carton 12. This means that itis offset toward the left side wall 16 of the housing 14 because thecarton is correspondingly offset to provide room for the feedingmechanism, generally designated 38.

Situated under the exposed leaflets is a pa-ddle-wheel type feed roller39 made of sof-t rubber or the like and provided with four vanes 41spaced around the axis at 90 degree intervals. These vanes do not extendradially from the axis, but the plane of each vane desirably passeswithin about 1A inch of the axis of rotation. The reason for this isthat each rubber vane 41 can then flex or bend more readily as it Iisrotated and brought into contact with the bottom of the stack of leaves.If these vanes 41 did not bend, then it would be necessary for the wholestack 13 of leaves to be raised or lifted as a vane passed underneath. Apurely radial type vane would flex but would not do this so readily asit would be shorter, stiffer, and subject to a lesser bending moment.The outer edge of the vane remains in contact with the leaf throughoutthe entire feeding stroke. There is necessar'ily some small lifting ofthe stack as the rubber feed roll 39 rotates through 1A turn.

The setting of the parts is such that the rubber vane 41 which has justdelivered a leaflet comes to rest under the bottom of the stack ofleaves about 1A; inch from the `front surface or edge of the stack ofleaves and definitely in contact with and supplying support to thestack. The next or succeeding vane, which will feed out the nextleaflet, comes to rest in contact with the bottom of the carton 12 whichencloses the leaflets. It is these two contact points which establishthe position of the rubber feed roll after each stroke. The vane whichhas just delivered a leaflet has an important function. First, it isunder the front or unsupported portion of the stack of leaflets andprevents them from sagging down over a long period of nonuse, such as aweekend or vacation. Second, the leaflet which has just been presentedthrough the slot 35, is pinched very lightly between this vane and thebottom of the stack and is not free to fall from the dispenser.

There is a lgreat tendency for a rubber vane 41 to snap a leaflet outwith such velocity that it continues after completion of the stroke andeither falls into a sink or on the floor. However7 by positioning theaxis of rotation of the rubber feed roll correctly, by designing thefeed roll 39 with four vanes 41 of the correct length, and by locatingthe stack of leaflets at the proper elevation above the axis of rotationof the feed roll, the tip of the vane which has just delivered a leafletserves a secondary purpose of pinching this leaflet very lightly betweenthe vane and the bot-tom of the stack in an extended position, so thatit may be grasped in the fingers of a user and easily withdrawn from thedispensing apparatus. The support of the stack of leaflets andprevention of their sagging down over extended periods of time is veryvital to satisfactory operation of the dispenser.

An advantage of the four-vaned feeding device 39 over a simple rubberroller of equivalent diameter is that such a roller, cylindrical inshape, can feed a leaflet only until the back edge of the leafletbecomes positioned in the vertical center plane of the feed roller.Therefore, there is a definite limit to the length of feed which can beobtained with a simple cylindrical roller. With a flexible-vane type offeeding device, the edge of a vane contacts a leaflet at a point closerto the back edge of the leaflet, maintains this contact with the leafletas it rotates, flexes as it rotates so as not to substantially lift thestack of leaves, and finally breaks the contact with the leaflet at apoint well out in front of the vertical center plane of the feedingdevice. This flexural characteristic is very important and thenon-radial construction of the vane plus the illustrated thickness ofthese vanes and the texture of the rubber are carefully designed to getthe optimum action.

The vaned feed roll 39 is not hand rotated throughout the entire 1A of arotation. A substantial portion of this rotation or stroke ismechanically guaranteed as a lockedin type of action. However, the finalfew degrees of turn, possibly five to ten degrees, for any given stroke,results from an uncoiling or straightening out action of the effectiverubber vane as it pushes against the bottom of the stack and sets up asmall couple about the axis of rotation. This action often causes themetal feed ratchet 51, on the right hand end of the carrying shaft 52received in slots 30 in the side walls 22 and 23 of the chassis 24 andto which the feeder 39 is attached, to jump ahead of the actuating feedhook or pawl 42 which is pushing it. Another effect might be to causethe leaf being delivered to jump ahead as though it were flicked fromthe dispenser. The feed roller presents a generally square outline inend view. With the leaves pressing down on this feed roll, there isnaturally a tendency, .af-ter a certain point in the rotation `has beenreached, from the force of the leaflets to continue to rotate the feedrool until a generally flat surface, provided by a slight beveling, asillustrated at the free edge of each vane, is in contact with the bottomof the stack of leaves. It is this condition which causes the feed rollto stop in the salme relative position after each feeding stroke.

At no time is a leaflet 13 completely discharged from the dispensingapparatus 11 as contact is made and maintained at a point or linesomewhat forward of the trailing edge of the leaflet. In fact, oncompletion of a cycle, the leaflet is conveniently positioned in anextended position but very lightly pinched and held in place between thebottom of the stack and the free edge of the feed vane 41 which has justdelivered the leaflet in question. The protruding end portion of thisleaflet can be easily grasped in the fingers and pulled the remaining Mtto 3/8 inch from the dispensing apparatus. This is an importantconsideration as it keeps leaflets from falling to the floor or into asink or basin.

The feed roller 39 is actuated by a very simple ratchet and pawl or feedhook type of device which changes the reciprocation of a feed bar oractuator 43 to a rotary action and utilizes a latching type device toget turning action in one direction only. The feed bar 43 is slidablycarried in a guide 44 secured to a side of the chassis wall.

A combination return spring, time-delay device 45 is utilized in thisdispenser. The time delay device is desirably supported on a flange 46outstanding from the guide 44 and is used to prevent a rapid feeding ofleaves and thus discourage pilferage. The delay might be two to fourseconds between cycles. The time delay device is desirably a pistonwhich functions as a pump and is combined with a return spring 48 insuch a manner that the spring tries to push the piston againstatmospheric pressure and draw a partial vacuum within an enclosingcylinder 49. However, a small hole 40 in the side or the end of thecylinder 49 allows air to slowly bleed into the cylinder and thus letthe piston 47 slowly return, or if a slower action is desired, leakagemay be solely relied on.

By referring to FIGURE 7, it will -be seen that said carton 12 opensdownwardly and is cut away or relieved at its lower front portion, asindicated at 53. Said front wall is also desirably slotted upwardly fora short distance, as indicated at 54, to give an indication of when thesupply of leaves is almost exhausted. The side walls S5 and 56 of saidcarton are likewise cut away or relieved, as indicated at 57 and 58.Said walls adjacent the rear Wall 59, that is, back of the relievedportions 57 and 58,

are, however, not only not cut away but are desirably extended beyondthe extreme bottom of the carton to form bottom wall supporting panelsor tabs 61 and 62, respectively.

The rear wall 59 of the carton terminates in a panel '79 hinged theretoalong line 80 at the extreme bottom of the carton. Said panel is formedin two sections, that is, section 81 hinged directly to the rear wall 59and section 82 hinged to the edge of the section 81 remote from saidrear wall. Secured to the section 82, desirably constructed asillustrated most clearly in FIGURE 7, is a metal strip or plate. Thisplate has a sharp prong 68 slit therefrom and bent out, as illustrated.The end portions of said plate are bent at right angles, as indicated at84, passed through slots or apertures 86 and 87, respectively, in thesection 82 and bent over said section toward one another to gripping.relationship therewith.

This connection holds the prong 68 outstanding from the surface of thesection 82 which faces downwardly when the carton is positioned asviewed in FIGURE 7, but which faces in the opposite direction when thesection 82 is bent up over the section 81 and the whole folded panelbent up to -underlie the lower portion of the carton and extend at rightangles to the rear wall 59 thereof. When this occurs, the tabs 61 and 62are .sandwiched between the sections 81 and 82, and the tongues 60formed on the free edge of the section 82 may be passed into cooperatingslots '70 on the line of the hinge 80. When a stack of leaves 13 restson the folded panel 79, it presses the section 82 down on the section81, frictionally gripping the tabs 61 and 62 between said sections whichthus form a firm support f-or the rear portion of a stack of leaves 13.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the panelconstruction, heretofore described, provides a prong or needle 68 whichpoints upward beneath a supported stack of leaves and on which the lowermembers in said stack are impaled. I have found that such needle willcleanly slice each leaf or film, as the latter is pulled away, so thatthere will be no necessity for any further action and the function willbe satisfactory.

Before operating an assembled dispenser 11 embodying my invention, thehousing 14 would be released by upward pressure on the latch 28, swungout and down to open position. A stack of leaves 13 would then bepositioned so as to be supported by the shelf 26, desirably whilecontained in a carton 12 having a restraining needle 68 upstanding froma lower rearward wall portion. If a carton 12 is dispensed with, theleaves 13 would be directly held on a shelf 26 from which a needle 68would upstand. The leaves 13 and weight 34 would then be guided betweenthe side walls 22 and 23 of the chassis 24 and the rear wall 25 andflanges 32 and 33 of said side walls. The housing 14 would then be swungback and up until it latched in closed position.

To operate, the user inserts a linger in the same aperture 31 which wasused on releasing the latch 28, but this time he would press down on ashelf or rest 63 carried by a flange 64 formed on the upper end of thefeed bar 43. The feed hook 42 depends from the lower end p-ortion 65 ofsaid bar 43, desirably laterally offset as illustrated in FIGURE 3, asby having an upper portion 66 bent laterally, to pass through a slot 67in the lower end part of the portion 65. It is then bent upwardly to liebetween said portion 65 and the side wall 23 of the chassis 24. Thisallows for outward .swinging of said hook from engagement with theratchet 51 upon upward movement of the feed bar 43 under the iniiuenceof the return spring 48.

Such downward linger pressure on the shelf 63 effects a feedingoperation of the roller 39. Said shelf 63 is disposed rearward of adepending portion 69, which shields the actuating rod 71 upstanding fromthe pist-on 47. The latter is guided through a cylinder closure device72 threadably engaged in the upper end portion of the cylinder 49. Theshelf 63 is formed with an upstanding portion 76 limiting inwardmovement of the nger. Approximate air tightness between the cylinder 49and its piston may be secured by a leather packing member 73, like thatin a hand tire pump, and a metal washer 74, of a size to form anabutment for the top of the spring 48, with both pressed into place by aholding screw 75. The upper end of the rod 71 and the lower end of thecylinder 49 may be respectively secured to the lower surface of theiiange 64 and the upper surface of the flange 46, in a suitable manner.

This feeding operation of the roller 39 is effected from `the shelf 63,through the downward movement of the feed ybar 43, on which it ismounted, and the corresponding movement of the feed hook 42 dependingfrom said bar. The consequent engagement by the lower flange '77 on saidhook with one of the four teeth 78 on the ratchet 51, that is, the toothat the left as viewed in FIGURE 4, turns the latter through about 90,and compresses the spring 48. The flange 77 is of a depth at and nearthe front end extending for about one third of the distance toward theback end, as viewed in FIG- URE 3, so as to engage said tooth 78 at theleft, but decreases in depth toward the rear, so as not to engage thetooth 78 at the top of the ratchet 51, -when said feed hook is moveddownward. This causes a feeding action of the roller 39 on the lowermostleaf of the stack, leaving an end of said leaf protruding from the slot35 to be -pulled out by a user.

Release of the shelf 63 allows the spring 48 to again expand and returnthe parts to the position of FIGURE 3. This expansion and return is,however, slowed to the desired extent by the `formation of a retardin-gpartial vacuum in the cylinder 49. The hook 42 at the same `time swingsout along the inclined edge of the succeeding tooth 78 of the ratchet`51 and drops into place above its generally horizontal edge, ready forthe next leaffeeding operation.

Referring now to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in FIGURES 8to 16, inclusive, a second embodiment is shown as an improved form ofleaf dispenser 11a somewhat like the dispenser 11 of the iirstembodiment. This dispenser is, as in the preceding embodiment,illustrated as using a refill cartridge or carton 12a, similar to thecarton 12 but slightly modified, as will be explained, to hold a stackof sheets, leaflets or leaves 13. The present embodiment is well adaptedfor feeding leaves of the same material as was disclosed for the firstembodiment. Such a stack of leaves can conceivably be employed with theenclosing co-ver or housing `14a of the dispenser and without a refillcarton, although it would not be as convenient.

The dispenser housing 14a is desirably formed integrally from sheetmetal, the top and bottom sections, 19a and 18a, being continuations ofthe front section or wall 15a. Said housing 14a has anges 88 and 89,which respectively extend from the top and bottom sections andrespectively overlap the tops and bottoms of the side sections 91 `andare secured thereto in any desired manner including spot welding. FromFIGURES 8 and l0 it will be seen that the housing 14a comprises anormally vertical front wall 15a, normally vertical side walls 91, anormally horizontal bottom wall 18a land a forwardly and downwardlysloping top wall 19a.

The housing 14a is supported on a pivot or shaft 21a, desirably hollow,passing through the side walls 91 thereof and through side walls 22a and23a of a supporting chassis or frame 24a. After assembly, the ends ofthe hollow shaft 21a are desira'bly peened or riveted over so as toprevent separation of the housing from the underlying chassis 24a. Thechassis 24a is in `turn supported on a wall or from a suitable verticalsurface, as by means of screws or other securing means 92, passingthrough the rear wall 25a thereof. The apertures 93 through which thesecuring means 92 pass are desirably at the center of inwardly embossedannular portions 94, which form walls or ridges surrounding the means 92and thereby prevent said means from scraping or otherwise interfering,during application or removal, with the rear wall of the carton 12awhich holds said leave-s, by engaging and forwardly spacing said cartonrear wall.

The chassis 24a is shown provided with a shelf 26a, conveniently formedas by slitting it out of the rear wall thereof and bending it to anormally horizontal position, as viewed most 4clearly in FIGURES 9, 10and 13, so as to underlie the carton 12a. The housing, 4by virtue of itspivoting on the rod 21a, is swingable from the closed positionillustrate-d to a position where it lies with its front wallapproximately horizontal and outstanding Ifrom the supporting wall andthe chassis 24a. It is held in its normal or closed position 'by mean-sof a spring latch in the form of a plate 28a which, in this embodiment,is part of a lock 95 operable from outside the housing by means of akey, not shown, insertable through a key hole 96.

The lock 95 may be secured inside of the top wall 19a by means of rivetsor the like 97. The latch 28a is spring urged to the left, asillustrated in FIGURE 11, yso that, upon closing the housing 14a, itwill be moved to the right and then snap to the left over a shoulder 98formed at the inner surface of a ange 99. Said flange 99 is hereprovided on the outer edge of a part 101 conveniently slit from the rearwall 25a of the chassis and bent outwardly -at right angles thereto, asillustrated in FIGURES 9 to 12, inclusive.

When the housing 14a is swung up from open position, the latch 28a snapsinto locking engagement with the chassis flange 99, thereby locking thehousing in closed position. Unlocking is thereafter necessarily effectedby means of the key referred to as operating in the lock 95.

The carton 12a holding the leaves 13a is supported on the shelf 26a, Itis guided in its placement and removal `with respect to the chassis 24a,not only between the side walls 22a and 23a but also between theembossments 94 on the rear wall 25a and projections 102. The latter areformed by inwardly pressing the side walls 22a and 23a to an extent suchthat detents are provided for gripping the side walls of the carton 12anear the topl thereof, as shown most clearly in FIGURES 9 and 10.

These gripping portions 102 take the place of the flanges 32 and 33 onthe chassis of the preceding embodient, thereby preventing the carton12a from falling forward when the housing 14a is swung outward, while atthe same time making it possible to load the carton in the chassis `fromthe front rather than by sliding it down from the top. This makes itpossible to mount the dispenser close beneath Va shelf, or otherprojection on a wall, which would interfere with the insertion andremoval of `the carton from above. The carton 12a of the presentembodiment may be closed at the top -by conventional means as in thepreceding embodiment,

Due to the relative lightness of the `soap leaves for which thisdispenser is particularly designed, but not limited to, it is necessarythat some device be used to help the leaves slide down inside of thechassis 24a or refill carton 12a thereof, especially as said leavesbecome nearly used up. I propose to use a block of wood, or othersimilar weight, such a-s that designated 34 in the preceding embodiment,but not here shown.

FIGURES 9, and 12 show mechanism which is desirably employed for feedingthe bottom leaf of a stack 13, so that it protrudes from a slot 35a inthe front wall a of the housing 14a. Said slot is desirably of a lengthslightly greater than the length of the leaves to be dispensed. It isdefined at its upper and lower edges by flanges 36a and 37a, slopingdownwardly and forwardly, as illustrated most clearly in FIGURES 10 and13, to form an outlet chute for the leaves.

The chute is deep` enough, so that the leaves do not fail to projectthemselves therethrough as fed by the 10 mechanism, and is in registrywith the bottom part of the carton 12a. That is, said chute is offsettoward the left side wall 91 of the housing 14a, because of thecorresponding offset of the car-ton to provide the necessary space forthe feeding mechanism generally designated 38a.

Situated under the exposed leaflets 13 is a paddle wheel type feedroller 39a of soft rubber or the like, provided with four vanes 41aspaced around it-s axis at 90 intervals. These vanes do not extendradially from the axis but the plane of each vane desirably passeswithin a short distance, say about one quarter inch, of said axis. Thereason is so that each rubber vane 41a can flex or bend more easily asit is turned and brought into contact with the bottom of the stack ofleaves 13. A purely radial type vane would flex but would not do so asreadily,

The outer, relatively-sharp edge of each vane remains in contact with aleaf throughout the entire feeding operation. There is necessarily somesmall lifting action on the stack as the rubber feed roller 39a rotatesthrough one quarter turn. It will be noted that said feed roller 39a isan improvement over that designated 39 in the preceding embodiment, inthat the upper surfaces of the vanes, when active, are flat rather thancanted backwardly at an angle as illustrated in FIGURE 6. The edges,however, or where they engage the bottom of the stack of leaves,desirably come to an acute angle, as in the preceding embodiment.

The cardboard container or carton 12a in the present embodiment has beenchanged by cutting away the side walls thereof to a greater extent, sothat two vanes of the four-vaned feed roller 39a are now in contact withthe bottom leaf, as viewed most clearly in FIGURE 13, as contrasted withthe construction in the preceding embodiment where the forward vane wasin contact with a leaf and the vane immediately behind it was in contactwith the bottom of the carton.

The setting of the parts is such that the rubber vane 41a, which hasjust delivered a leaflet, comes to rest under the bottom of the stack ofleaves about one-eighth inch from the front surface or edge of saidstack and definitely in contact with and supplying support to the stack.The next or succeeding vane, which will feed out the next leaflet, alsocomes to rest in contact with the bottom of the stack of leaves at aposition just slightly forward of where said stack is supported by thebottom wall of the carton. These two contact points determine theposition of the rubber feed roller 39a after each stroke. The vane 41awhich has just delivered a leaflet has an important function, which isthe same as that described in connection with the first embodiment,except that now it has the assistance of the vane immediately followingit.

The first embodiment avoided the great tendency for a rubber vane 41 tosnap a leaflet out with such velocity that it continued after completionof the actuator stroke. However, it did not avoid the possibility ofhaving a leaf fired out if the user pushed down on the feed bar quicklyand hard enough. Therefore, the present embodiment simply loads a springand the ratchet wheel is operatively rotated only on the return stroke.The velocity of the ratchet rotation is then a function of the springdesign, the weight of the mass to be moved, the size of the air bleedhole, if used, in the spring-enclosing time-delay cylinder the design ofsaid cylinder, and the frictional forces encountered. Thus, the presentembodiment takes the control of the actual feeding time away from theoperator. All he can do is to load the spring and the return actionthereof establishes the speed at which the leaet will be delivered.

The feed roller 39a in the present embodiment is actuated by a simpleratchet and pawl or feed hook type of device which changes thereciprocation of a feed bar 43a to a rotary action and utilizes alatching type device to get turning action in one direction only. Thefeed bar 1 l 43a is slidably carried in a guide 44a secured to the sideof the chassis wall 23a, so that it tilts downward and slightlyrearward, as contrasted with the normally vertical movement of the feedbar 43.

A combination return spring, time-delay device 45a is also utilized inthis form of my dispenser. Said device is, however, operated differentlyand desirably supported on a ange 46a outstanding from the guide 44oand. is used to prevent rapid feeding of leaves. The delay might be Itwoto four seconds between cycles. The delay device is desirably a piston47a which functions as a pump in a cylinder 49a. It is combined with areturn spring 48a in such a manner that the spring tries to push thepiston against atmospheric pressure and draws a partial vacuum in theenclosing cylinder 49a, with its axis inclined at a small angle to thevertical, as viewed in FIGURE 10. However, a small hole 40a in thecylinder 49a: may allow air to bleed slowly thereinto and thus let thepiston 47a correspondingly slowly return. If -a longer time delay isdesired, leakage may be solely relied on.

Referring to FIGURES 14, and 16, it will be seen that the carton 12aopens downwardly and is cut away or relieved at its lower front portion,as indicated at 51a. The side walls 55a and 56a of said carton arelikewise cut away or relieved to a greater extent than in the firstembodiment, as indicated at 57a and 58a. The side walls adjacent therear wall 59a, that is, back of the relieved portions are, however, notonly not cut away but are desirably extended beyond the extreme bottomof the carton to form bottom wall supporting panels on tabs 61a and 62a,respectively.

The rear wall 59a ofthe carton terminates in a panel 79a hinged theretoalong line 80a at the extreme bottom of the carton. Said panel is formedin two sections, that is, section 81a hinged directly to the rear wall59a, and 02a hinged to the edge of the section 81a remote from said rearwall. Associated with the section 82a, desirably constructed asillustrated most clearly in FIGURE 14, is a metal plate 83a. This platehas a sharp prong 68a slit therefrom and bent out, as illustrated,leaving bifurcations 103 and 104.

The desired manner of securing the plate 83a to the panel 79a is toslide the prong 68a into a notch 105 at the extreme edge of the panel82a and on into the slit 106 therein, with'the bifurcation 104 on oneside, each as the t-op, and the bifurcation 103 on the other side, suchas the bottom, of the panel 82a, as viewed in FIGURES 15 and 16. Thisholds the plate 83a and its prong 68a tentatively in the desiredposition with respect to the panel 82a.

It will be seen that the prong 68a, viewed in FIGURES 14, 15 and 16,faces downwardly when the holding panel is :so posit-ioned. However, itfaces in the desired opposite or upper direction when the section 81a isbent up and under the properly positioned tabs 61a, 62a and the section82a folded thereover to underlie the lower portionof the carton 12a andextend at right angles to the rear wall 59a thereof. When this occurs,the tabs 61a and 62a are sandwiched between the sections 81a and 82a andthe tongues 60a, formed at the free edge of the section 82a, may bepassed into cooperating slots 70a on the hinge line 80a. When a stack ofleaves 13 rests on the so folded panel 79a, it presses the section 82adown on the section 81a, frictionally gripping the tabs 61a and 62a andthe plate 83a between said sections, which thus forms a firm grip onsaid plate and support for the rear portion of a stack of leaves 13ywhich is impaled on the prong 68a.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the panelconstruction provides a prong or needle 68a which is pointed upwardbeneath a supported stack of leaves and which is a simplification of theprong construction of the preceding embodiment. I have found that such aneedle 68a will cleanly slice each leaf or lilrn so that there will benoneeessity for any further action and the function will besatisfactory. However, in order to observe that there is no undesiredaccumulation of material around the needle, I desirably provide anopening 107 adjacent the hinge line 80a, through which the rear edges ofleaves adjacent the needle may be observed.

A stack of leaves 13 will be positioned in the dispenser of the presentembodiment in a manner similar to that described in connection with thepreceding embodiment, except that, after opening the housing 14a, thepositioned carton 12a containing the leaves would be directly held onthe shelf 26a, while the upper portions of the carton are frictionallygripped by the projectors 102 on the side walls 22a and 23a of thechassis. The leaves 13 and the weight 34, as in the precedingembodiment, would then be guided between the walls of the carton as theleaves were withdrawn one by one from the bottom of the stack.- Thehousing 14a, when swung to upper or closed position until it latches,would engage the front wall of the carton and hold it in place againstthe annular embossments 94.

In operation, the user inserts a linger in the aperture 31a in the frontwall of the housing and presses down on a shelf or rest 63a carried byand secured to flange 64a formed on the upper end of the feed bar 43a,by suitable means such as spot welding. The feed hook or pawl-actingmeans 42a depends from the lower end portion 65a of said bar 43a. It isdesirably offset, as indicated in FIGURE 9, as by having an upperportion 66a bent laterally to pass through a slot 67a in the lower endpart of the portion 65a. It is then bent upwardly to lie between saidportion 65a and the side wall 91 of the chassis 24a. This allows foroutward swinging of said hook upon engaging with the ratchet v51a upondownward movement of the feed bar 43a as the operator presses thereon.

Such downward nger pressure on the shelf 63a effects a passing of thefeed hook 42a over the rearmost one of the teeth 78a of the ratchet 51a.This action is provided for by the slight tilt of the feed bar 43a andthe depending feed hook 42a. Said shelf 63a is disposed rearwardly of adepending portion 69a, which yshields the actuating rod 71a upstandingfrom the piston 47a, and between upstanding side wall portions 100 and110. Said rod is desirably hollow and receives a project1on 108,desirably cut and depending from the ange 64a, thereby holding itagainst misalignment with the cylinder 49a. The cylinder is held in anaperture in a tiange projecting from the top of the guide 44a. It 1sprevented from slipping out of place by corner portions or tabs 109upstanding from the lower ange 46a of said guide 44a. The shelf 63a isprovided with an upstanding portion 76a limiting inward movement of thefinger. Appropriate air tightness between the cylinder 49a and itspiston 47a may be obtained by a leather packing member 73a held in placeby a screw 75a, as illustrated most clearly in FIGURE 10, or in a mannersimilar to that of the preceding embodiment.

A feeding operation of the roller 39a is effected upon a return movementof the feed bar 43a and a correspending movement of the feed hook 42adepending from said bar. The consequent engagement by the lower flange77a on said hook with one of the four teeth 78a of the ratchet 51a, thatis, the tooth at the right, as viewed in FIGURE l0, turns the latterthrough about 90 by action of the spring 48a expanding after release.After the lowerm-ost leaf has been pulled from the stack 13 against theresistance imposed by the pronged plate 83a, a part of which issandwiched between the bottom wall sections 81a and 82a, it is pushedout by the sequential operation of the underlying vanes 41a of the feedroller 39a. The action is thus controlled as previously described andnot dependent on the whim of the user for speed of discharge. Thedispenser may then be reset i3 for the discharge of the next leaf byagain pushing down on the shelf 63a. The feed hook 42a slides over thesucceeding tooth 78a, during resetting, and, upon release of the shelf63a, another leaf is discharged from the dispenser.

In order to allow for insertion and removal of the feed roller betweenthe walls 22a and 23a of the chassis, the left wall 22a is apertured forreception of the roller shaft 52a, while the right wall 23a is providedwith a slot 111, formed as shown in FIGURE 10, to extend generallyhorizontally to the front edge of said side wall. Thus, insertion of theroller 39a and its shaft is permitted by the clearance 112 normallyfound at the right of the roller, as viewed in FIGURE 9, which allowssaid roller to have its right end portion pulled outward, while its leftend portion is in place in said wall aperture.

The left end portion of its shaft 52a may thus be fitted in thereceiving aperture in the left wall 22a while the shaft is canted. Thenthe right hand portion of said shaft 52a between the ratchet 51a fixedthereon and a relatively thin metal washer 113, of diameter larger thanthat of the ratchet wheel 51a, between said ratchet and a relativelysmall but thicker washer 114, is slid into or out of position, while thewall 23a is sandwiched be tween said washers, as shown most clearly inFIGURE 9.. The washer 113 has such a diameter that, when in position, asviewed in FIGURE l0, its peripheral edge engages the front wall a of thehousing, specifically the flange 37a thereon, thereby acting to lock theright hand portion ofthe shaft 52a in its proper position at the innerend or in the bottom of the slot 111.

Proper lateral positioning of the top of the housing 14a withrespect tothe chassis 24a is insured by outstanding flanges 115 and 116 at thetops of the side walls 22a and 23a of said chassis, the outer edges ofwhich respectively extend close to the housing side walls and limitmovement of said housing to right and left. Such positioning of thebottom of said housing with respect to the` chassis is insured byslitting and bending out a lug or tab 117 from the bottom portion of theside wall 22a and placing a sleeve 11S on the right hand end portionl ofthe pivot member 21a, before assembly of the housing and chassis. Saidsleeve 118 acts as a spacer between thel lower portion of the side wall23a and the lower portion of the` right hand side wall 91.

Referring now to the third embodiment of my invention illustrated inFIGURES 14, 15, 16, 17 to 27, inclusive, and parts of FIGURES 10 and 11,there is shown a leaf dispenser 11b, somewhat like the dispenser 11a ofthe second embodiment. The major change in this dispenser, as comparedwith that of the second embodiment, 4is that the cover or housing 14b isof two-piece construction, with the parts 119 and 120 separately formedand with overlapped edge portions welded together.

The dispenser 11b is, as in the precedeing embodiment, illustrated asusing a refill cartridge or carton 12b, similar tothe carton 12a, tohold a stack of sheets, leafiets, or leaves 13. The present embodimentis also adapted for feeding leaves of the same material as was disclosedfor the first embodiment. Such leaves can conceivably be employed withthe enclosing cover or housing 14b of the dispenser and without a refillcarton, although it would not be as convenient.

The dispenser housing 14b is formed in two parts, a top part 121 and abottom part 122, said parts being spot welded together to facilitatemanufacture and permit greater freedom of design. For that purpose thebottom part 122 has a rounded and inwardly-angled front portion 123,which thus brings the front surface of said assembled housing closer tothe leaves 13 to be dispensed, thereby achieving a greater extension ofan exposed leaf when the unit is operated.

-An outwardly-curved lip 124 is incorporated at the top of an injectionslot 125 to assist in guiding a leaflet from the unit, to protectagainst water splash, and at the 14 same time creating the effect of asmaller opening or slot when viewed from an operators position. Thelower portion of the slot is defined by an upwardly and inwardlyinclined portion 126 to improve the possibility of catching a leaf whichmight be curved downward and thus guide said leaf into the opening andout of the dispenser.

The housing elements 121 and 122 are formed to interfit with oneanother, that is, the lower element 122 has curved side flanges 127which fit in corresponding indentations 128 in the upper element 121 andare spot welded or otherwise secured thereto. The front of the lowerportion 122 may be extended up beyond the side flanges and curved, asindicated at 129, so as to fit behind the lower edge portion of thefront wall 15b.

The upper member 121 comprises a normally vertical front wall 15b,desirably provided with one or more panels 130, inwardly embossedthereon to receive advertising and/ or directions, normally verticalside walls 91b which extend below the bottom edge of the front wall 15b,as illustrated most clearly in FIGURE 17 and a forwardly and downwardlysloping top wall 19b. This upper member 121 has flange 88 which extendfrom the top section of the front portion, overlap the tops of the sidesections 91b and are secured thereto in any desired manA ner includingspot welding.

The housing 14b, comprising the assembly of the parts 121 and 122, issupported on a pivot or shaft 2lb, desirably hollow, passing through thelower extensions of the side walls 91b and through side walls 22b and23b of a supporting chassis or frame 24b. After assembly, the ends ofthe hollow shaft 2lb are desirably peened or riveted over so as toprevent separation of the housing 14b from the underlying chassis 24b.The chassis 24b is in turn supported on a wall, or some suitablevertical surface, as by means of screws or other suitable means 92bpassing through the rear wall 25b thereof. The apertures 93b throughwhich the securing screws 92b pass are disposed at the centers ofoutwardly-embossed portion forming inwardly-opening cups 94b, which thussurround the means 92b and thereby prevent them scraping or otherwiseinterfering, during the application or removal, with the rear wall ofthe carton 12b which holds the leaves, by providing in effect acountersinking of the securing means.

The chassis 24b is shown provided with a shelf 26b, conveniently formedas by slitting it out from the rear wall thereof and bending it to anormally horizontal position as viewed most clearly in FIGURES 22 and25, so as to underlie the carton 12b. The housing 14b, by virtue of itspivot on the rod 2lb, is swingable from the closed position illustrated,to one where it lies with its front wall approximately horizontal andoutstanding from the supporting wall and the chassis 24b. It is held inits normal or closed position by means of a spring latch in the form ofa plate, like that designated 28a of the preceding embodiment asillustrated in FIGURE l1. Said latch is here, as in said previousembodiment, part of a lock, such as that previously designated 95,operable from outside the housing by means of a key (not shown)insertable through a key hole such as that designated 96 in said figure.In other words, the latch arrangement of the present embodimentcorresponds with that of the preceding embodiment.

The carton 12b holding the leaves 13 is supported on the shelf 26b. Itis guided in its placement and removable with respect to the chassis24b, not only between the side walls 22b and 23b, but also between theprojections or embossments 102b on said side walls. These projectionsare formed by inwardly pressing said side walls to an eX- tent such thatdetents are provided for gripping the side walls of the carton 12b nearthe top thereof, as shown most clearly in FIGURE 24. These grippingportions 102b function like the projections 102 of the previousembodiment. Due to the relative lightness of the soap leaves, for whichthis dispenser is particularly designed but not limited to, I propose touse a block of wood or other similar weight, as in the precedingembodiment, where it is designated 24, for the same purpose.

FIGURES 21 to 27, inclusive, show a mechanism which vis desirablyemployed for feeding the bottom leaf of a stack 13, so that it protrudesfrom the slot or chute 125 in the front wall of the bottom part of thehousing 14h. Said slot is desirably of a length slightly greater thanthe length of the leaves to be dispensed, and is defined at upper andlower edges by flanges or lips 124 and 126, previously referred to,which define an outlet chute therebetween as shown in FIGURES 17, 22,and 25. Said chute 125 is deep enough so that the leaves do not fail toproject themselves therethrough as fed through the mechanism and is inregistry with the bottom part of the carton 12b. That is, said chute isoffset toward the left side wall 91b of the housing 14b, because of thecorresponding offset of the carton to provide the necessary space forthe feeding mechanism, generally designated 38h.

Situated under the exposed leaflet 13, is a paddle type feed roller 39bof soft rubber or the like carried on a shaft 52b journaled in the sidewalls of the chassis. It is provided with four vanes 41h spaced aroundits axis at 90 degree intervals, as in the preceding embodiment, andgenerally shaped as an improvement over the feed roller 39 of the firstembodiment.

The cardboard container or carton 12b in the present embodiment maycorrespond with that designated 12a in the preceding embodiment. Thesetting of the parts is such that the rubber vane 41b which has justIdelivered a leaflet cornes to rest under the bottom of the stack ofleaves about 1A; inch from the front surface or edge of said stack,definitely in Contact with and supplying support for said stack. Thenext or succeeding vane, which will feed out the next leaet, also comesto rest in contact with the bottom of the stack of leaves, at a positionjust slightly forward of where said stack is supported by the bottompart of the carton, as in the preceding embodiment, and operates in asimilar manner.

The feed roller 39b in the present embodiment, is actuated by a simpleratchet and pawl or feed hook type of device, which changes thereciprocation of a feed bar 43h, manu-ally operated by the use of a feedlever 132, to a rotary action and utilizes a latching type of device toget a turning action in only one direction. The feed bar 43b is slidablycarried in a guide 44b secured to` the side of the chassis Wall 2317, sothat it is aligned with the major axis of the chassis, rather than beingtilted, as in the preceding embodiment.

A combination return-spring time-delay device 45b is also utilized inthis form of my dispenser. Said device is desirably supported on afiange 46b outstanding from the guide 44b and is used to prevent therapid feeding of leaves. The delay may be two to four secon-ds betweencycles, as in the preceding embodiment. The delay device is desirably apiston, such as designated 47a in FIG- URE 10, which with theillustrated accessories functions as a pump in a cylinder 49b. It iscombined with a return spring, such as designated 48a in said figure, insuch a manner that the spring tries to push the piston againstatmospheric pressure and draws a partial vacuum in the enclosingcylinder 49b. A small hole, such as designated 40a in FIGURE 10, may bein the cylinder 4917 to allow air to bleed slowly thereto and thus letthe piston 47a correspondingly slowly return. If a longer time delay isdesired, le-akage may be solely relied on.

As shown in FIGURES 14, 15 and 16, the construction of the lower portionof the carton 12b corresponds with the construction of such portion ofthe carton 12a of the preceding embodiment, including the connectionthereto of a prong such as designated 68h, which corresponds with theprong 68a of said preceding embodiment.

The stack of leaves 13 is to be positioned, in the dispenser `of thepresent embodiment, in a manner similar to that described in thepreceding embodiment. In operation the user pushes or pulls down on thefeed lever 132,

detailed in FIGURE 26, as by applying a finger to the curved portion 133thereof which projects beyond the right side wall of the housing, asviewed most clearly in FIGURE 2l. This lever has an inner portion 134which slides along the inside surface of the housing wall, beinginwardly offset from the external portion as indicated at 13S. Saidinner portion is slidably mounted with respect to the inner surface ofthe side wall by being guided at its lower portion between flanges 136and 137 which project inwardly from the side wall and define the sidesof the aperture 13S through which said lever 132 projects.

The upper portion of said lever is guided between angular clips 139 and141 which are formed by slitting and bending corresponding sections ofsaid side wall. This lever has a flange or lug 142 at its upper end,apertured as indicated at 143 to receive the hooked or curved lower endportion of a coiled return spring 144, the upper hooked or curved endportion of which is carried by an apertured lug 145 near the top of thehousing 14b. Downward movement of the lever 132 causes the flange 142thereof to first take up the lost motion indicated in FIG- URES 21 and24, and then engage the flanged upper end portion 64b of the feed bar43h. The feed hook or pawlacting means 42h depends from the lower endportion 65k of said feed bar 43b. The latter is offset, as in thepreceding embodiment, in order to allow for outward swinging of thedependent feed hook 42b upon engaging the ratchet 51b upon a downwardmovement of the feed bar 43b, as the operator presses down on theoutwardly curved portion 133 of the feed lever 132. The connection ofthe ratchet 51b with its carrying shaft 52b is strengthened, as comparedwith the preceding embodiment, by the formation of an annular hub flangethereon.

Such downward finger pressure effects a passing of the feed hook 42hover the rearmost tooth 78b of the ratchet 51b. A feeding operation ofthe roller 39a is effected upon return movement of the feed bar 43b anda co-rresponding movement of the feed hook 42b depending from said bar.The consequent engagement by the lower flange 77b on said hook with oneof the four teeth 78h of the ratchet Slb, that is, the t-ooth at theright as viewed in FIGURE 22, turns the latter and the connected wheel39b, counterclockwise about 90 degrees by action of the spring expandingafter release. After the lowermost leaf has been pulled from the stack13 against the resistance imposed by the prong 681;, it is pushed out bythe sequential operation of the underlying vanes 41b of the feed roller39b. The action is thus controlled, as previously described, and notdependent on the whim of the user for speed of discharge. The dispensermay then be reset for discharge of the next leaf by again pushing downyon the feed bar 132 and allowing it to return.

In order to allow for insertion and removal of the feed roller 39hbetween the walls 22b and 23b of the chassis, the left side wall 22b isapertured for reception of the roller shaft 52b, while the right sidewall 23b is provided with a slot 111b, formed as shown in FIGURE 22, toextend generally horizontally to the front edge of said side wall. Thus,insertion of the roller 39h and its shaft 52b is permitted by theclearance 112b, normally found at the right of the roller as viewed inFIGURE 24, which `allows sai-d roller to have its right end portion.pulled outward while the left end portion is in place in said wallaperture.

The left end portion of the shaft 52b may thus be fitted in thereceiving aperture in the left wall 22b while the shaft is canted. Thenthe right end portion of said shaft 52b, between the ratchet 51b fixedthereon and a relatively small diameter, thick washer 1141;, is slidinto or out of position while the wall 23b is sandwiched between saidmembers, as shown most clearly in FIGURE 24. In the present embodimentit is not necessary to use a relatively thin, larger-diameter washer,corresponding with that designated 113 in the second embodiment because,with the present cover construction, the rubber feed roller 39b or theratchet 51b contact the cover immediately upon the occasion of anytendency to ride forward to an undue extent. That is, the inward anddownward curving of the front wall of the lower section 123 of thehousing or cover functions to hold the ratchet 51b and its carryingshaft 52b within the desired bounds, without the need for an additionalwasher of large diameter.

Proper lateral positioning of the top of the housing 14h with respect tothe chassis 24h is insured by outstanding flanges 115b and 116k at thetops of the side walls 22h and 23b of said chassis, the outer edges ofwhich respectively extend close to the housing side walls and limitmovement Iof said housing to right and left. Such positioning of thebottom of said housing with respect to the chassis is insured byslitting and bending out a lug or tab 117b from the bottom portion ofthe side wall 22h and placing a sleeve 1ll8b on the right hand endportion of the pivot member 2lb, before assembly of the housing andchassis. Said sleeve 118b acts as a spacer between the lower portion ofthe side wall 23h and the lower portion of the right hand side wall 91hof the chassis.

From the foregoing disclosure it will be seen that I have provided threeforms of a sheet dispensing device. In the tirst form, the sheets orleaves are dispensed upon operation by a user who then releases theoperating member and a time-delay insures against anotherleaf-discharging operation until a predetermined period has elapsed andthe device is automatically reset. In the second form, the user merelysets the dispenser by bearing down on an operating element and a leaf isdelivered upon the release of said element, the speed of the deliverybeing controlled by a time-delay device. In the third and preferred formof my invention, the operation is generally as in the second form,except that the time-delay mechanism has its axis normally verticalrather than inclined and an operating lever with an external manuallyengageable part is provided to avoid the insertion of dirty, wet fingersin the dispenser, which would cause stains to run down the front andwater to enter the internals of the unit, possibly causing corrosion orotherwise leading to malfunction.

Having now described my invention in detail in accordance with thereqiurements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will haveno difficulty in making changes `and modifications in Ithe individualparts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirementsor conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth inthe following claims.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material comprising feedingmeans supportingly underlying the free edge portion of the bottom leafof said stack, said feeding means comprising a supporting shaft turnabletherewith and journaled about an axis disposed under said stack,bendable resilient vanes movable with and extending outward from saidshaft to such a distance that at least one of said vanes alwaysunderlies a portion of said bottom leaf, ratchet mean turnable with saidshaft, an actuator for said feeding means slidable between top andbottom positions at a side of said stack, pawl means suspended andswingable from said actuator to engage said ratchet means, turn saidvanes and disengage a leaf from the bottom of said stack when theactuator is moved in one direction, while sliding over said ratchetmeans without turning said vanes when the actuator is moved in the otherdirection, and resilient means normally holdin-g said actuator in itstop position so that, upon moving said actuator from its top to itsbottom position and then releasing, said actuator discharges a leaf uponmovement in one direction and is returned to its top position by saidresilient means.

2. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material as recited in claim 1,wherein said pawl means engages said ratchet means and turns said vaneswhen the actuator is released and returned to top position by saidresilient means.

3. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material as recited in claim 1,wherein said pawl means engages said ratchet means and turns said vaneswhen the actuator is moved from its top to its bottom position.

4. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material as recited in claim 1,wherein said stack is contained in a carton, and a portion of the bottomwall of which is omitted near the front so as to expose the bottom leafof said stack for engagement by said feeding means.

5. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material as recited in claim 1,wherein there is a housing for enclosing said material, said housinghaving a slot in its front wall adjacent the free edge of the materialwhen engaging said feeding means, whereby the bottom leaf of said stackmay be fed out of said slot.

6. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material as recited in claim 1,wherein there is a housing for said dispenser formed as upper and lowerparts secured together, said lower part being curved downwardly andinwardly to bring its inner surface closer to the leaves enclosedthereby to effect a greater extension of exposed leaf during operation,the lower part of said housing having a slot in the front wall adjacentto the free edge of the bottom leaf of the stack engaging said feedingmeans, whereby said bottom leaf may be fed out of said slot, said slotbeing defined by an upper outwardly curved lip to assist in guiding eachleaf from the dispenser, to protect against water splash and to createthe effect of a smaller opening when viewed from the operators position,and the lower portion of said slot being defined by a downwardly andoutwardly inclined portion to assist in catching a leaf, which might becurved down, and guiding said leaf down and out of the dispenser,

7. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material as recited in claim 1,wherein there is an opening in the front of said dispenser and afinger-engageable portion of said actuator is accessible therethrough.

8. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material as recited in cla-im 1,wherein there is a housing for said dispenser formed with an opening inthe lower portion of side wall thereof, the fron-t housing wall curvingaround said opening which provides for entry of the upper portion of afeed lever, said upper portion Ibeing supported from the upper part ofsaid housing by a coiled tension spring, the lower portion of said feedlever being curved outwardly and upwardly to be engaged by a finger foractuating, through said lever, said feeding means of the dispenser.

9. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material as recited in claim 1,wherein there is a chassis for holding said material, a housing for saiddispenser, means pivoting isa-id housing adjacent its lower portion tothe lower portion of said chassis so that it may be swung outward toopen position or upward to a positi-on enclosing said stack, land springlatch means at the upper portion of said housing, said chassis having ashoulder in its upper portion behind which will snap said lat-ch meanswhen the housing is swung to upper position to hold it closed, saidlatch means being opera-ble from the outside to allow said housing toopen.

10. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material as recited in claim 9,wherein said spring latch means is .part o-f a lock and key operablefrom the outside of said housing.

11. A dispenser for a stack -of leaves as recited in claim 1, whereinthere is a housing f-or enclosing said material, a chas-sis underlyingsaid housing for the support thereof, said chassis comprising a rearwall adapted to be secured t-o a vertical supporting surface, side wallsprojecting forwardly therefrom, a shelf projecting forwardly from saidrear wall, a carton holding said leaves and supported on said shelfbetween said side walls, and means extending from said side walls tohold said carton in place.

12. A dispenser for a stack of leaves as recited in claim 1, whereinthere is a chassis normally covered by a housing and the actuator fo-rsaid feeding means is in two parts, the inner part Ibeing a feed 'barmounted on a side wall `of said chassis, an outer part of said actuatorbeing a feed lever mounted on a side wall of said housing adjacent saidchassis side wall, a coil tension spring urging said lever to its upperposition, said feed lever having an inwardlyextending normallyhorizontal lug to which said spring is connected and which normallyoverl-ies the upper portion of said feed bar, the lower end portion ofsaid actuator lever protruding through an aperture in a side wall ofsaid lhousing and having a portion lat its lower end curved outwardlyand upwardly to provide a iinger-engageable portion for the operationthereof, whereby when said `finger-engageable portion is depressed thelug on the top of the feed lever engages the top of the feed bar andmoves it down to provide for the discharge of a leaf.

13. A dispenser for a stack of leaves as recited in claim 11, whereinthe means extending from said side walls tohold said c-arton areprojections inwardly-embossed in said side walls and positioned tofrictionally grip the 4adjacent walls of said carton. l

14. A dispenser as recited in claim `11, wherein there is a guide -forsaid actuator mounted on one side wall of said chassis, a ange providedat the t-op of said actuator, a bracket mount-ed on said ange, saidbracket comprising a nger-engageable portion for operation thereof, afront an'ge depending therefrom, a rear ange upstanding therefrom tolimit inward movement of an engaging finger, and a time-delay devicemounted beneath said fingerengageable portion so as to return it onlyslowly to normal position.

15. A dispenser as recited in claim Vlll, wherein the actuator comprisesouter and inner parts, there is a guide for the -outer part on the innersurface of a side wall of said housing, a flange provided at the top ofthe said outer part, a coil tens-ion sprin-g connecting said ange to thetop portion of said housing to urge said outer part to upper position,said -outer .part protruding through an aperture in a side wall of .saidhousing and carrying a fingerengageable portion at the lower endthereof, and said flange engaging the top of said inner part, when it ismanually moved to lower position, to operate the feeding means.

16. A :dispenser for a stack of leaves of material comprising feedingmeans supportingly underlying the free edge portion of the bottom leafof said stack, said feeding means comprising a supporting shaftIturnable therewith and journaled about an axis under said stack, fourbendable resilient vanes movable with and extending outward from saidshaft to such a distance that one of said vanes, when the operation o-fsaid `feeding means stops, always underlies the outer edge portion ofsaid bo-ttom leaf 4and the succeed-ing vane always underlies .a portionof said -leaf near the rear edge thereof, means for turning said shaftto cause the vanes to successively engage and feed the bottom lea-f fromsaid stack, thereby feeding only one leaf at a time, and a time-delaydevice connected to said turning means so that, upon actuation of sa-i-dturning means and then releasing, said turning means returns only slowly.to initial position to thereby then discharge a leaf from said sta-ck.

v17. A dispenser for a stack of leaves .of material comprising feedingmeans supportingly underlying the free edge portion of the bottom lea-fof said stack, said feeding means comprising a -supporting .shaftturnable therewith and j-ournaled about an axis under said stack, fourrbendable resilient vanes equally spaced around, movable with andextending outward from, said shaft to such a distance that at least oneof said vanes, when the operation of said feeding means stops, alwaysunderlies a portion of said bottom leaf, means -for turning said shaftto cause the vanes to successively engage and feed the bottom leaf fromsaid stack, thereby feeding only one leaf at a time, and a time-delaydevice connected to said turning means so that, upon actuation thereofand then releasing, said turning means returns only slowly to ini- 20tial position to thereby prevent an actuation quickly thereafter for thedischarge of another leaf from said stack.

18. A dispenser for a stack of leaves of material comprising a housingfor enclosing said material, feeding means in said housing underlyingthe free edge portion of the bottom leaf of said stack, said housinghaving a slot in its front wall ladjacent the free edge of sa-id bottomsheet when supported by said feeding means, said feeding meanscomprising a supporting shaft turnable therewith land journaled about anaxis generally parallel to said slot and disposed under said stack,resiliently bendable vanes extending outward from said shaft to such adistance that one always supportingly engages the outer edge portion ofsaid bottom leaf of material when la feedying oper-ation terminates, aratchet fixed on one end portion of said shaft, an actuator for saidfeeding means slidably mounted at the side of said housing, a feed hook-swingable from the bottom portion of said actuator to turn said ratchetwhen said actuator is moved in one direction and disengage therefromwhen the actuator is moved in the other direction, resilient meansnormally holding said actuator in elevated position, a tinger-engageableportion on said actuator, and a time-delay device underlying saidnger-engageable port-ion so that, upon pushing down on said actuator andthen releasing, said actuator rises only slowly.

19. Feeding means for a stack of leaves in la leaf dispenser comprisinga turnable supporting shaft journaled about a generally horizon-tal axisunder said stack, four resilient bendable vanes equally spaced around,movable with and extending outward from, said shaft, means for turningsaid :shaft to feed one leaf at a time from the bottom o-f said stack,and a time-delay device connected to said turning means so that, uponactuation thereof and then releasing, said turning means returns onlyslowly to normal position.

20. In a `dispenser fora stack of leaves, a chassis comprising a sheetmetal structure having a rear wall adapted to be mounted on a verticalsupporting surface, side walls projecting forwardly therefrom, meansproject-ing toward one another from said side walls, a shelf for thesupport of leaves to be used in said dispenser projecting forwardly fromsai-d rear wall Ibetween said side wall-s and 'between said rear walland said means projecting toward one another, a guide mounted on theouter surface of one side wall, a leaf actuator -sli-dable in saidgu-ide, a flange at the top of said a-ctuator, a br-acket m-ounted onsaid flange, said bracket comprising a finger-engageable p0rtion foroperation thereof, a front flange depending therefrom, a rear flangeupstanding there-from to limit movement of an engaging finger, Iandresilient means for returning said actuator to normal position afteroperation thereof.

21. A dispenser for a stack of leaves comprising a sheet metal chassisstructure having a rear wall adapted to be mounted on a verticalsupporting surface, laterallyspaced side walls projecting forwardlytherefrom and united thereby, but free from one lanother at their frontedges for the entire height thereof, means projecting toward Ioneanother from said side walls to hold a stack of leaves in place andprevent it from falling forward, a shelf for the support of such a stackof leaves projecting forwardly from said rear wall between `said sidewalls and between said rear wall and said means projecting toward oneano-ther, said shelf extending a distance less than the width of saidside walls, whereby portions of the leaves are unsupported, and feedingmeans supportingly underlying said unsupported portions.

22. A dispenser fora stack of leaves as recited in claim 21, comprisinga carton as part thereof, supported on said shelf and holding the leavesof said stack, wherein the means projecting toward one another from saidside walls are inwardly embossed and so positioned .that theyfrictionally grip the adjacent walls of said carton.

23. A dispenser for a stack of leaves as recited in claim 21,compris-ing a housing, means pivoting said hous- 21 ing adjacent litslower portion to the lower portion of said lchassis so that it may beswung outward to open position or upward t-o a position enclosing saidstack, wherein the means projecting toward 4one another `from said sidewalls are anges inturned from the front edges thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 825,476 7/1906Osborn 271-36 22 Hope 221-46 X Wooster 226-130 X Gray 271-41 Campbell221-16 Harvey 221-16 Case 221--16 De Shon 221-15 M. HENSON WOOD, IR.,Primary Examiner.

3/1928 Boivin 221-154 X 1() ROBERT B. REEVES, Examiner.

19. FEEDING MEANS FOR A STACK OF LEAVES IN A LEAF DISPENSER COMPRISING A TURNABLE SUPPORTING SHAFT JOURNALED ABOUT A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS UNDER SAID STACK, FOUR RESILIENT BENDABLE VANES EQUALLY SPACED AROUND, MOVABLE WITH AND EXTENDING OUTWARD FROM, SAID SHAFT, MEANS FOR TURNING SAID SHAFT TO FEED ONE LEAF AT A TIME FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID STACK, AND A TIME-DELAY DEVICE CONNECTED TO SAID TURNING MEANS SO THAT, UPON ACTUATION THEREOF AND THEN RELEASING, SAID TURNING MEANS RETURNS ONLY SLOWLY TO NORMAL POSITION. 